MYRTLE AVENUE BROOKLYN PARTNERSHIP

You may have heard about Black History Month, but what about Black Artstory month? Throughout February locals have filed into restaurants, theaters and galleries along Myrtle Avenue to join in the fun, and we were there to find out more.

Black Artstory month, an inaugural initiative held in honor of Black History month, was organized by the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership. The purpose was to showcase artwork and pay homage to Fort Greene and Clinton Hill’s vibrant arts community. Although it was only organized for this year, Daonne Huff, curator of the project for the MARP, said she hopes Black Artstory month can become an annual event with contributions from artists across the community.Read more…

The LocalA plan to make Park Avenue safer includes proposals that may promote pedestrian safety.

A double-parked car blocked the view of a 13-year-old boy who was hit by a cargo van while crossing Park Avenue at 6:44 a.m. on Feb. 13, police said. A sobriety test later showed that the unidentified driver of the cargo van, a grey Ford E-150 which had a green light, was not drunk at the time of the accident, cops said. The boy, who was taken to Bellevue Hospital, underwent surgery for head trauma, police said. Bellevue did not respond to our requests for comment on the boy’s current condition.

“Many in our community have become increasingly aware of the pedestrian safety concerns along Park Avenue,” Ms. Phillips Almeida said. “And there are actions that can be taken by the city to lessen the possibilities of accidents like this from occurring in the future.”Read more…

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, along with former mayors Rudolph Giuliani and David Dinkins, joined Bill Clinton and thousands of others to mourn the passing of former mayor Ed Koch in the 2,500-seat Temple Emanu-El yesterday, USA Today reported.

Looking for some family fun in the neighborhood? The Mommy Poppin’s blog wrote about the top 35 things to do with children in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. Even without a family, some of the ideas sound like great ways to spend a day in the ‘hood.

If fundraisers and filmmaking aren’t your thing, maybe you’d prefer to take a stroll around the neighborhood and enjoy the last few signs of Christmas. Although Mulchfest is over and almost all the holiday decorations are gone, we found this tree was still creatively decorated with giant red balls made out of Christmas lights. If you see some decorations still donning local sidewalks, take a picture and share it with us on our Local Flickr group.

Forest City Ratner broke ground this week on the B2 residential tower at the Atlantic Yards, the New York Post reported. The 32-story development, expected to be the world’s largest modular building, will be constructed using pre-fabricated, steel frame boxes trucked in from a manufacturing site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The building, which will have 181 units of affordable housing, will be completed in the summer of 2014, the paper reported.

Francisco DaumWarmer temperatures made it easy for runners to leave jackets home for a brief period yesterday.

Good morning, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

Did you get stuck in the rain yesterday? We got pelted on our commute in and out of work yesterday, but the beautiful sunset and rainbows at close of day made it worth it. Did you enjoy the breaks in the weather, locals?

Rocco Vanasco, a 45-year member of Community Board 2, was honored for his long-time service to the community last week, DNAinfo reported. Among his numerous local achievements, Mr. Vanasco was instrumental in getting elevated train tracks on Myrtle Avenue removed and fighting to reopen the Brooklyn War Memorial, the blog reported. Mr. Vanasco plans to retire in 2014 and spend more time with his wife, sons and grandchildren, according to the blog.

The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership is just 100 signatures away from its goal of 1,000 supporting the creation of a Park Avenue safety plan, MARP reported on Myrtle Minutes. The partnership is trying to get the petition wrapped up by the holidays, according to the blog post. If you want changes on the street, take the time to fill out the form here.

Elizabeth HagenHearts and stars are one of the new designs on Myrtle Avenue benches.

Brownstones, squiggles and hearts are just a few of the designs popping up on Myrtle Avenue this month as part of Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership’s Street Furniture Initiative. MARP is adding a total of 50 tree guards and benches to Myrtle Avenue as part of Phase II of the project. Ali Muhsin, who owns Farmer in the Deli on the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Adelphi Street, eagerly awaited a bench outside his business, and one showed up three days ago.

“I would see a lot of my customers actually buy a sandwich and then take it over to sit and eat in front of Cake Joy,” Mr. Muhsin said of a bench installed across the street last September.

“It’s a great opportunity to provide decoration and art on the street, as well as leveraging it to create seating on the avenue,” said Debera Johnson, founder and executive director of the Pratt Design Incubator. She helped Pratt Institute students and alumni create a modular prototype of the steel tree guards that could easily incorporate designs from the community. There are already 40 of the guards and benches on the street from Phase I of the project last September.Read more…

At least seven construction subcontractors that helped build the Barclays Center are on the city’s caution list for past problems, DNAinfo reported. The article lists firms busted for bribery, fraud and environmental violations from sites the companies worked, excluding work at Atlantic Yards. Private developer Forest City Ratner has not officially responded to the findings, according to the article.

Did you notice a for-sale sign on the $10 million mansion on 81 Hanson Place this weekend? Artist David Salle‘s more than 10,000-square-foot former schoolhouse home is officially on the market, the New York Daily News reported. The place is a steal when compared to equal square footage in Manhattan, according to the article.

You’ve got ’til the end of the week to see The Nutcracker at BAM. The classic holiday ballet is running until Dec. 16 at the Howard Gilman Opera House. That should give you plenty of time to have Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies stuck in your head for a week or two before Christmas.

Oswaldo CabreraThe temperature and leaves may have finally dropped for good in Fort Greene.

Good morning, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

It’s beginning to feel a lot like December, thanks to some seriously cool temperatures today. But Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz wasn’t worried about seasonal weather keeping shoppers from local stores, as he kicked off the the fourth annual “Shop Brooklyn” campaign this week. What local stores will you hit up for holiday presents this year? Let us know in the comments, locals.

It may have moved inside to 1 Hanson Place for the winter, but the Brooklyn Flea is as popular as ever for business start-ups. The outdoor market was profiled in this CNN Money video, calling it a fertile ground for small business and entrepreneurs over the past five years. If you get inspired to go rooting around in any vintage stalls, send pictures of your finds to our Local Flickr group or e-mail them to bklocal@nytimes.com.

No matter where you’re out shopping, keep in mind that Council Member Letitia James is collecting new, unwrapped toys at her annual holiday celebration on Dec. 12 from 6 to 10 p.m. at 525 Waverly Avenue. Anyone in the community is welcome to attend, but is asked to bring a toy to donate. Toy drive gifts may also be dropped off at Council Member James’ office at 67 Hanson Place during business hours.

You may start to see new tree guards on Myrtle Avenue, between Flatbush and Classon Avenues, as Phase II of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership‘s Street Furniture Design Initiative begins. 28 tree guards and 22 tree benches will be installed by the end of the year, according to MARP. Let us know what you think of the new benches if you take one for a test drive.

In news about local news, we saw that the long-time editor of Fort Greene Patch, Paul Leonard, gave his final farewell to the neighborhood last week. He cited hurricanes, blizzards and continued gun violence as some of the story lines he’ll never forget. We’ll remember talking crime with him on Tuesday mornings at the 88th Precinct, as well as running into him on local sidewalks. Although he doesn’t say what he’s leaving to do, or why, we wish him all the luck in his future endeavors.

The city Department of Transportation’s controversial Citi Bike bike-sharing program, which put 600 bike racks on the streets of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, has residents up in arms. But kiosks are not coming down, New York City Council Member Letitia James told more than 100 neighborhood residents at a raucous town hall meeting last night.

Get news about Fort Greene and Clinton Hill in our daily roundup, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s summer slate of youth-oriented programs and the third annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival coming to St. Joseph’s College in Clinton Hill.

In today’s daily post, you’ll find news on the spring opening of the Fort Greene Artisan Market, a Pratt Institute student artwork display at a Gagosian Gallery in Manhattan and a new recording studio in the nabe.

In this crime report, locals told police that their belongings were stolen from cars and trucks, their homes were burglarized and their bank accounts were used in unauthorized ways. Also, disputes between significant others resulted in violence and robberies last week. The trend of robberies on the B38 bus continued last week, with another incident on May 4 marking the tenth such robbery in the precinct this year so far.

Videos

About the Local

The Local provides news, information, entertainment and informed conversation about the things that matter to you, your neighbors and your family, from bloggers and citizens who live, work and create in your community. It is run by students and faculty of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, in collaboration with The New York Times, which provides supervision to assure that the blog remains impartial, reporting-based, thorough and rooted in Times standards.